Zoning Board of Appeals

Town of Townsend Seeks Public Input for the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) and Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) Project 

Please take a few minutes to take the online survey and tell us your thoughts and experiences related to Townsend's climate adaptation and hazard mitigation plan.

 tinyurl.com/TownsendMVPSurvey2

You can watch a recording of Townsend's virtual public listening session at the following link;

http://tinyurl.com/TownsendMVPVideo1

Townsend’s responses to previous extreme weather events, as well as the community’s current response to the COVID-19 crisis, illustrate the Town’s resilience. The Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) and Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) Project seeks to document historic successes and challenges related to emergency preparedness, to help develop better solutions for tomorrow’s risks. The community’s input on this process is essential. 
The Town of Townsend is identifying projects that could reduce the impacts from flooding, extreme temperatures, and severe weather events. The Town is also considering the likelihood of experiencing more severe natural hazards more frequently due to projected climate change. This planning process explores three topic areas; including infrastructure assets,  
This MVP-HMP project is funded through a $22,000 grant award from the Commonwealth’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Planning Grant program, which provides technical and financial support for cities and towns to plan for climate change and implement the results. As part of this process, Townsend will also fulfill the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) requirements to update the Town’s regional Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) from 2015. This HMP update will maintain the Town’s eligibility for federal grant funding from FEMA.  
If you would like to receive updates on this project, please email your contact information to Beth Faxon, Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals Administrator for the Town of Townsend (bfaxon@townsend.ma.us).

Zoning Board of Appeals Mission Statement

• Appeals by persons aggrieved by decisions of the Townsend Zoning Enforcement Officer (Building Commissioner) in the grant or denial of permits or zoning enforcement decisions.
• Petitions for Variance from the provisions of the Townsend Zoning Bylaw.
• Petitions for Special Permit for certain uses of land or structures as set forth in the Townsend Zoning Bylaw.
• Applications for Comprehensive Permits pursuant to MGL Chapter 40B.